But life has forced me to reconsider this view more than once.

I once met a woman who, at first, seemed incredibly cold. Her responses were brief, she barely smiled, and she kept a certain distance. I even concluded that she simply didn’t like me.

Then, I happened to see her—very discreetly—help an elderly man sort out some paperwork, even though she was clearly in a huge rush. No grand gestures, no seeking of gratitude; she simply noticed someone struggling and stopped to help.

After that, I began to pay attention to different things—not how eloquently someone speaks about kindness, but how they behave when no one is watching.

It seems to me that genuine affinity doesn’t always arrive at first sight; sometimes, it emerges following a small, simple act—the kind that, for some reason, stays in your memory for a long time.

In general, I’ve come to value people more and more when, in their presence, I don’t feel the need to constantly prove anything. I can be a little silly, occasionally tired, not have all the answers, and—most importantly—not have to put on a performance of being an "ideal" version of myself.

To me, that is what true human warmth is all about. 🤍